This paper is a descriptive report of a transcultural nurse's experiences as an Earthwatch volunteer working with Leatherback sea turtles in Costa Rica. While in Costa Rica the author had an opportunity to observe and experience the culture and lifeways of the people of Costa Rica. The author attempted to discover and understand aspects of the Costa Rican social structure and world view and relate these insights to Leininger's (1991) Sunrise Model and the role of transcultural nurses. Leininger's (1991) Sunrise Model depicted the relationships inherent in her theory and included: culture, world view, and social structure dimensions. The social structure dimensions included: technological, religious and philosophical, kinship and social, cultural values and lifeways, political and legal, economic, and educational factors. The insights and understandings learned through application of Leininger's (1991) Sunrise Model were applied to transcultural nurses'role in meeting the care needs of clients from various cultures.
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